Senegalese star Youssou N'Dour has just inked an agreement with Nonesuch Records, which will release his new album, Joko (The Link), on Sept. 5.

The Nonesuch deal comes after Sony failed to release N'Dour's first

Western album in six years, Joko: From Village to Town, in the United States. The album was released in Europe in March.

"When this decision was made," said his manager, Thomas Rome, "we decided immediately to connect with Nonesuch to secure a license arrangement. Everything in Nonesuch's approach bespeaks a seriousness of purpose and an understanding. We couldn't be happier."

N'Dour, according to his manager, has long been the victim of record-company confusion. "They seek to mold N'Dour into a Western pop star,"

Rome explained, "and when that strategy doesn't work, they content themselves with minimal or no promotion, settling for modest sales and exposure."

In addition to 11 songs from the original Joko, the Nonesuch version will contain two new tracks, "Mademba (The Electricity Is Out

Again)" (RealAudio excerpt) and "Miss" (RealAudio excerpt), while leaving off the collaborations with

COLOR="#003163">Sting and Wyclef

Jean that appeared on From Village to Town.

N'Dour, 41, continues to release mbalax-based music at home. But abroad, Rome noted, "Youssou seeks to communicate African musical truth by employing the rich palette of extra-African sound, with one foot in Africa and one foot outside the continent."